1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display apparatus arranged to display an image recorded on a developed film by using a storage display element.
2. Description of Related Art
Images or pictures taken by a camera on a film are generally developed and printed on printing paper to be appreciated as photographs. However, some apparatuses recently marketed are arranged to electronically read an image recorded on a film (hereinafter referred to as a film image), as an electronic image, by means of a film scanner or the like to have the electronic image appreciated on a TV monitor or the like. However, since these apparatuses are not provided with any image storing function, the read film image is erased when the power supply is turned off.
Meanwhile, an image display apparatus which has been also recently disclosed is arranged to store a film image taken by a camera in a spatial light modulator and to have the stored the film image displayed for appreciation.
In such an image display apparatus, the film image is written into the spatial light modulator by illuminating an exposed and developed film from behind with a light source such as a xenon lamp or the like and projecting the thus-obtained transmission light onto the spatial light modulator through a magnifying projection optical system composed of a projection lens and a reflection mirror.
The spatial light modulator is composed of a ferroelectric liquid crystal, a photo-electric conversion layer, etc., and is arranged to be capable of storing, over a long period of time after a power supply is turned off, the image information written in by the storing action of the ferroelectric liquid crystal.
In using the image display apparatus for viewing a film image taken by a camera or the like, the user makes back-light illumination with a fluorescent lamp from behind the spatial light modulator in which the film image is written. The film image stored in the spatial light modulator then can be appreciated by viewing a light image having passed through the spatial light modulator.
The operating principle of the spatial light modulator is disclosed in detail in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. HEI 4-299314, etc.
Further, there has been developed another image display apparatus, which is provided with an information display means such as a liquid crystal display element or the like arranged to be capable of selectively displaying one of a frame number of a film image stored in the spatial light modulator and the current time.
However, the conventional image display apparatus has the following shortcomings. Since, even if a frame number of a film image intended to be written into the spatial light modulator is not being displayed by the information display means, an image writing operation on the spatial light modulator can be performed, some film image other than the film image intended by the user might be erroneously written into the spatial light modulator.
Further, in the image display apparatus having an information display means for selectively displaying one of a frame number of a film image and the current time, if the current time is being displayed by the information display means in writing the film image into the spatial light modulator, it is necessary for the user to change the display setting of the information display means to display the frame number of the film image. However, the change of the display setting makes the writing operation of the film image complicated.
Besides, in setting the frame of a film image to be written into the spatial light modulator, if the film is transported correspondingly to the frame number every time an up/down button is pushed for setting an applicable frame number, a length of time required in transporting one frame portion of the film becomes too long before writing the film image of the desired frame into the spatial light modulator.
Further, in the image display apparatus having an information display means for selectively displaying one of a frame number of a film image and the current time, if the frame number of the film image is displayed on the information display means according to the writing operation of the film image by the user and the frame number of the film image is left on display even after the end of the writing operation of the film image, a display contrary to the intention of the user tends to be made.
In the image display apparatus having an information display means for displaying a frame number of a film image, in writing a film image newly into the spatial light modulator, a frame number to be first displayed by the information display means is preferably the frame number of a film image written in the spatial light modulator. However, in a case where a film which differs from a film already written in the spatial light modulator is newly loaded on the image display apparatus, the arrangement for displaying on the information display means the frame number of the film image written in the spatial light modulator tends to bring about the following inconvenience. If the user wishes to view the film images from the first frame of the newly-loaded film, for example, the setting operation for the frame number would require a long period of time, which is inconvenient to the user.
Further, in the image display apparatus having a film frame number setting means for setting a frame number of a film image to be written into the spatial light modulator and an information display means for displaying the frame number, if, when the user operates the film frame number setting means to set a frame number of a film image to be written into the spatial light modulator, a frame number which is not included in the film happens to be set by the user, the nonexistence of that frame number in the film cannot be found by the user before completion of writing the film image into the spatial light modulator.
Further, in the image display apparatus having an information display means for selectively displaying one of a frame number of a film image and the current time, a dedicated operation member is required for setting time. However, the addition of the dedicated operation member has caused an increase in cost of the image display apparatus.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, when an image recorded on a developed film is optically written into a storage display means, the film is transported until a frame corresponding to a frame number displayed on information display means is reached, so that there can be provided an image display apparatus capable of preventing any undesired film image from being written into the storage display means.
The above and other aspects and feature of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.